Five Miami Dolphins who should be on the teams Walk of Fame

Vern Den Herder – 1971 – 1982

Most fans will not remember Vern Den Herder and for those fans, sorry about your luck. Den Herder was and remains one of the best defensive ends in Miami Dolphins history. It’s hard to compare stats because most stats were not kept during his playing days.

For 12 seasons, Den Herder lined up for the Dolphins starting most of his career. His 1971 rookie season he did not start a single game but started every game afterwards that he played in until 1982 when he started one of the seven games he played before retiring.

Den Herder was a relentless pass rusher. He recorded 14 fumble recoveries over his career that were tracked. Sacks were not tracked officially. According to the Miami Dolphins 2017 Media Guide, Den Herder had 64 sacks in his career and ranks 5th among Dolphins in history. Behind only Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, Cameron Wake, Bill Stanfill, and Doug Betters.

In this article, Den Herder talks about his playing career with no regrets and fond memories. It’s a good read that I recommend.

Norm Evans – 1965 – 1978

Tackle Norm Evans is truly and original Miami Dolphin. In 1965 Evans played for the Houston Oiliers but joined the Miami Dolphins for their inaugural season in 1966. He would play 10 years for the Dolphins before spending his final three NFL seasons in Seattle.

Evans appeared in all of the Dolphins Super Bowls during the 1970’s and made All-Pro three times. Evans is one of the longest tenured Miami Dolphins players and is a member of the Dolphins All-Time top 50 players in history.

Having Evans as a member of the Walk of Fame would be fitting. Only one other player in Dolphins history from the 1966 original team had a longer service record with the Dolphins and that player was receiver Howard Twilley.

Evans started all but six games in his Dolphins career and started 91 consecutive games at one point.

Howard Twilley – 1966 – 1976

For eleven seasons Howard Twilley did what he was asked to do and if he complained no one knows. Twilley was drafted in the 1966 AFL Draft in the 12th round which makes his longevity more impressive. He appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls and was part of the undefeated 1972 team.

Often overshadowed by names like Paul Warfield, Twilley was an exceptional receiver in his own right. He posted 212 receptions for 3,064 yards averaging 14.5 yards per catch over his career. Consider he did this when few receivers were being used as the NFL was only just coming into the passing era and the Dolphins were still a pound and ground football team.

Twilley is the longest tenured original Miami Dolphins and that alone deserves more than ampersand in team history. Honoring Twilley with his own Walk of Fame paver is long overdue. While many don’t know the name Twilley, they should, he was a team player of a bunch of no-name guys that made history, Dolphins history.